Published: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 8:10 p.m.

David Thomas Jenkins is no stranger to the silver screen, having appeared in several motion pictures since moving to California nearly a decade ago to pursue his acting dreams.

Facts

Want to go?

What: Projecting Hope Film FestivalWhen: Friday through Sunday*Where: Ayrsley Grand Cinemas 14, 9110 King's Parade Blvd., Charlotte, N.C.Tickets: Free at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis. Or, to guarantee a seat, advance tickets are available for a $5 service fee.Info: 803-548-3479 or www.projectinghopecharlotte.com*“Return to the Hiding Place” will screen at 7:15 p.m. Sunday

But never has the 1998 Union High School graduate had a role as big as the one he has in “Return to the Hiding Place,” a feature film that will be included in this weekend's Projecting Hope Film Festival in Charlotte, N.C.

Jenkins stars as lead character Hans Poley in the reality-based World War II drama about a young man who fights against the Nazis to save Jewish lives in Holocaust-era Holland.

“It's easily my biggest role, not just from the size of it but also the challenge of it,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins plans to fly in from California so he can see the film with friends and family members who still live in the area.

“It's really exciting, because I've never had the opportunity to see (one of my films) on the big screen with my family by my side,” Jenkins said. “This is a movie I'm really proud of, so I can't wait to see how they feel about it.”

“Return to the Hiding Place” is based on an autobiographical book of the same name written by Poley. The film's director, Peter Spencer, was friends with Poley.

“It definitely added a great deal of pressure, trying to portray someone (whom the director) knew really well,” Jenkins said. “But it also made my job slightly easier, having someone with that much direct information about the subject I was playing.”

Poley was a young physics student and resistance journalist who, with others, embarked on a hunt through underground tunnels in an effort to rescue Jews from the Holocaust.

Although most of the filming was done at a Dutch settlement in Michigan, the cast and crew traveled to The Netherlands for a week to shoot scenes at the actual “hiding place” referred to in the film's title.

“I think that added gravity to the role and the project itself,” Jenkins said. “It's one thing to read about history in a book or study it from afar, but to actually stand in the same place where these things happened, there's a certain energy that can't be described.”

The film also stars veteran British actor John Rhys-Davies, best known for his work in the “Indiana Jones” series and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Working alongside Rhys-Davies was a humbling experience for Jenkins.

“He's one of those people who can walk into a room, and his presence just commands your attention,” Jenkins said.

“We had one really big scene together, and I realized when we did our first reading that if I didn't step up my game and perform to the best of my ability, this guy was going to blow me out of the water.”

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